The Cleveland Browns’ stellar rookie class was one of the only things that made the 2025 season worth watching. Multiple foundational young stars emerged on both sides of the ball and helped change the narrative around GM Andrew Berry, who had a lot of fans calling for his head after years of poor draft results.
Of course, Berry had to deal with losing multiple first-rounders from the Deshaun Watson deal, but now that he has some draft capital to work with, Berry is cooking. Of course we won’t know for sure until the regular season starts on Sunday, but early indications suggest that Berry cooked once again in the 2026 draft as Spencer Fano, Denzel Boston, KC Concepcion, and now Austin Barber are all projected to start and play major roles on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
During the latest installment of the Orange and Brown Talk podcast, Cleveland.com’s Ashley Bastock shed some light on another talented rookie who is slated to make a big impact right out of the gate. She shed some light on second-round safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who she believes hasn’t gotten enough attention and could be a huge playmaker for this defense.
“I think that Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has just not gotten much attention because, obviously, so much has been focused on this offense. I think we’ve seen the cool things he can do, and I really do think that in this defense, we’re going to see a lot more three-safety looks, and I think we’re going to see him out there with Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman. It’s not going to be a pick-your-poison type of guy. I think he has such a unique background, and everyone calls him a ball hawk. Everyone says he has this nose for football, and I mean, really, it’s something that he’s worked on his entire life. It’s not on accident. I just think he’s a guy who has the nose for the ball to make impactful plays. And post-Myles Garrett, that’s what you need is guys who are going to force turnovers. So, I’m very excited to see what he’s going to add to this defense,” Bastock said.
Ronnie Hickman is on a one-year deal, so as it stands, McNeil-Warren is positioned to be the safety of the future. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t also make a big impact in the present.
The Seattle Seahawks rode a dominant defense to a Super Bowl last year and one of the most unique weapons they had on that side of the ball was rookie safety Nick Emmanwori. Like McNeil-Warren, he was capable of playing all over the field and was deployed as a creative weapon en route to piling up 81 tackles and 11 pass deflections in 14 games. It’s a copycat league, so it’s no surprise that other teams are searching for their own versions of him.
Emmanwori is huge at 6’3″ and 220 pounds yet has the speed and coverage skills to stick with receivers in the passing game while also having the size and power to get downhill and make plays in the backfield. McNeil-Warren is a similar size at 6’3″ and 210 pounds, though he’ll likely be used more as a ballhawk as opposed to a hybrid linebacker/safety in the middle of the field.
It’s going to be fun to see how creative new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg gets with his prized rookie. We could see a lot of three-safety looks like Bastock suggested. Whatever it entails, the Browns need to get this guy on the field because he has the makeup of a potential turnover machine.
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